Nissan Dusts Off the Datsun Brand

After a 30-year absence from the global market, Nissan has decided to bring back the Datsun brand. Just don't expect a 21st century take on Datsun's greatest hits, specifically the seductive 240Z sports coupe and nimble 510 sedan. The brand, let's call it Datsun 2.0, will once again focus on offering cheap and fuel efficient vehicles that are easy on the wallet – though in this case, the wallet of a Datsun customer will be measured in rubles, rupees, and rupiah. This is because the Datsun revival is limited to emerging markets that include Russia, India and Indonesia.

The marketing move should help Nissan bolster sales in these regions, while simultaneously distancing Datsun's range of cheaper offerings from the rest of the Nissan lineup. No specific product plans have been detailed as of yet, though we'd expect the Datsun brand to include a budget-priced hatchback (a very popular vehicle segment in India), along with a small crossover or truck (something capable of withstanding a Siberian winter).

Datsun 510

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Nissan has plenty of wiggle room to position Datsun below its existing models. In India, the 5-door Nissan Micra presently serves as Nissan's cheapest offering, with a base price of approximately $8200. Over in Russia, the Nissan Almera Classic, basically a pre-2007 Sentra sedan, will set you back around $15,000. That's about the same price you'll pay in Indonesia for a Nissan March hatchback, equipped with a 1.2-liter engine and manual gearbox.

All of this is probably little comfort to fans of the classic 240Z, or anyone who's had the pleasure of pushing a rear-wheel-drive 510 sedan around a racetrack. For all those Datsun fans in the States, and there are plenty, the wait continues.